Diary of a writing, reading, animal loving, travelling Penguin and his mate who love collecting Penguin books, taking photographs and talking to people about Tasmania, Australia

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Hobart Book Jar No 1 Completed

Ha! What a laugh. I fired up the scooter this morning and headed to Citrus Moon cafe as stipulated by the Hide/Seek Book Jar.

I took my camera and my book. I'm reading an interesting Japanese (translation) short novel called Snow Country by Kasunari Kawabata who is a Nobel Prize winner but more on this on another post. I'm only half way through it. So into the bag went the book.

Beautiful, if quite cool sunny day and I arrived at the cafe in about 25 minutes time after the twisty ride through Taroona.

As I walked into the cafe I knew I was in trouble. Right next to the door was a table of three adults and four toddlers including 2 fairly new infants strapped to their mother's chests. There aren't many tables and the one small table next to the front window had a reserve sign on it. That would have been nicer but it wasn't reserved until noon and it was only about 11:20 am but no go. Silly to tie up a table that long.

Never mind I sat down at a table for four right smack in the middle of the room. So I was about an arm's length from the toddlers and the mothers. Close enough to hear the conversation. There was no way I was going to read anything quietly with the waitress rushing back and forth and the busy table next to me.

I heard all about the upper respiratory infection of one of the children as the mother leaned the infant back and pulled something from its nose with her hanky, how marker pens and crayolas differ in use for toddlers who don't push hard enough when they draw. The man in the group was getting a bit impatient so he got up and announced he would be back later much to the annoyance of his partner who had the kids. She seemed a bit shell shocked really. Then suddenly it happened. Just as I pulled a section of paper over to me that was lying there to enjoy with my coffee that had arrived, the little boy let out one of those ear piercing shrieking screams because the little girl had grabbed his crayon from him.

I could feel the little hairs on my neck stand right up. Nope, not even the paper was going to be enjoyable. I downed my coffee and off I went. AT least the coffee was 50 cents less than what I'd pay in Hobart central and was pretty good.

Will I take my book back there to relax? No. I think if one wants to read or write as the man was doing in the photo I took once I was out of the cafe you need to sit outdoors. However outdoors was about 10 degrees C (50 F).

Did I mention there was also construction work going on in the street out front? Time to tell the Book Jar to pick someplace else a bit more suited to a retiree on a scooter who wants to read her Japanese book.

But at least I did get out of the house on a winter's morning, enjoy the sunshine and after all young mothers do need places to meet that they can enjoy. So good luck to them.